Has anyone else experienced poor fishing after a rain event? I usually catch good fish before or even during a rain shower, unless it is so hard that the water gets muddy and rises too fast. But after a rainy day, the next day is always really slow, even if the water is clear again and the temperature hasn't droipped much. my guess is that the fish are either hiding from the high water or they have eaten so much during the rain that htey aren't hungry anymore. Anyone else have an idea on this?

I usually do a little better when the water is a little higher than normal. That is usually when I seek out eddies beside big boulders and underwater structure that break up the current. I've had more break offs during high water than normal flows. I think the browns feed better on high flows, too. Use some flies that'll get down fast and fish all of the water column. Don't forsake the streamers either. I've had most of my luck using traditional bucktails and wiggle minnows when streamer fishing. A good high water nymph would be a prince. Don't be afraid to go big.

I do better after rain fairly often as well, at least in the warm months. Some of my best days have been when the water is up and stained. That's when all the larger fish come out to play. Last summer, I caught a 14 inch brown on a large nymph when the water was very close to resembling chocolate milk. I don't know how they see the fly but I'm not complaining. On the other hand, I don't seem to do as well after the rain during the cooler months... :-/ High water in the summer usually equals great fishing though!!! 8-)

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"Then He said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.'" Matthew 4:19

As rain typically washes more food into the streams, I believe another factor determines how the fish will react. *If the water from rain results in water temp. more pleasing to trout, they will feed more. *However, a big volume of water aka flood of '94 will kill numerous trout not to mention making them lose their appetites. *Something I've noticed for years is how trout will fill up on small pebbles. *The ole timers say they're weighing themselves down to keep from getting washed away. *With a belly full of rocks, they have little room for appetite. 8-) Sunny days will return.

Unless the creek is up more than a foot (and they rarely stay more than a foot high for more than a day) I like the fishng in high water as well. fish big heavy bugs, and often without an indicator. Look for a big (6,8,10) golden/brown stone with multi-beads or tungsten head and lead wrap. It is also a good time to fish a heavy streamer (cone head muddler, or black helgramite with lead dumbell eyes. Often times I will throw above the break of a riffle so that the fly/streamer will get below the faster flow on top and be on the slower flow and drawn down, the fish often hold on the bottom in high fast water. You might want to fish the outside of tailouts and edges because sometimes the browns will move to the banks to get out of the water and eat the terrestials and stones crawling to the bank. Big fish in high water! High clear water use stuff with more neutral or natural colors, in stained water use the black or black- white combinations, maybe even all in low light.
Tight lines!